


i'll tell you my sins (you can sharpen your knife)

by duelistkingdom



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aftercare, Aged-Up Character(s), Anal Sex, Butt Plugs, Come as Lube, Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane, Edge Play, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Knife Kink, Light Bondage, Oral Sex, anzu is trans, encourageshipping if you squint, i have no idea what else to tag but just know it's a lot, mainly focuses on the revolutionshipping part of encourageshipping, otogi appears very briefly to loan out his apartment, takes place during season four but all characters are of age, yami yuugi's having a bad time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 12:36:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29999448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duelistkingdom/pseuds/duelistkingdom
Summary: She knew exactly what he was getting at. He seemed to be under the impression that the fact she cared about him was conditional, as if there was something he could do that would cause her to stop caring about him. He was absolutely wrong.
Relationships: Atem/Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Yami Yuugi
Kudos: 2





	i'll tell you my sins (you can sharpen your knife)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to ruby for beta'ing this and thank you to everyone who was like "no you should totally publish this" cause i was very nervous about publishing this

If the Pharaoh continued to brood for one more minute, Anzu was going to lose it. It wasn’t that she was unsympathetic to how the Pharaoh was feeling. She knew how it must hurt to have lost Yugi. However, moping about certainly wasn’t going to do anything to fix the situation. He heaved another sigh and finally, Anzu had enough. 

“You have to talk to me,” Anzu said, well aware that sounded just a little more mean than she intended it to be. She placed her hands on her hips, blocking him from walking off yet again. “I’m worried about you… We all are. You have to let us help.”

“There’s nothing that can be done,” the Pharaoh replied, looking away from her with shame clearly written all over his face. “Anzu, I appreciate you trying to help, but… You should really be angry with me.”

“Don’t give me that,” Anzu said, glaring at him. She knew exactly what he was getting at. He seemed to be under the impression that the fact she cared about him was conditional, as if there was something he could do that would cause her to stop caring about him. He was absolutely wrong. “I care about you, Y… Pharaoh.” She cut herself off before calling him ‘Yugi’. It was so natural to call him that name but the last time she did, it seemed to hurt him more. A reminder of what he’d lost, she assumed. “And I’m going to help you relax. One way or another.”

The Pharaoh seemed skeptical, eyeing her warily. “Anzu,” he said, a light flush appearing across his face. “It’s very kind of you to want to help, but I don’t deserve your kindness.”

Without even thinking about it, she smacked him across the face—hard enough to leave a bright red mark across his face. “So, you don’t think you deserve kindness?” she asked sharply, taking a step forward with a raised brow. “Well, I think that you need to stop trying to push us away! We’re trying to help you, but you keep trying to insist that you can do this on your own, and  _ I  _ think you’re wrong!”

He seemed taken aback, staring at her in wide eyed shock. His hand had flown up to the spot where she’d slapped, before he managed to say, “Can… Can you do that again?”

“Do  _ what  _ again?” Anzu asked, placing her hands on her hips as she glared down at him. “Give you a pep talk?”

“No,” he said and he actually looked embarrassed by this line of questioning. Anzu tilted her head, trying to figure out what else he could be referring to. “Anzu, don’t make me ask for it outright.”

“Ask for what,” Anzu said, almost frustrated as she took another step forward and tried to understand what he was angling at. She examined the exact look on his face and realized quickly what he meant. “Oh! You… Oh!” Anzu paused, flushing bright red. “Are you…asking because…” She steeled herself, fist clenching up. “Pharaoh, I’m not going to physically hurt you because you feel like you deserve to be punished.”

“That’s… That’s not why,” the Pharaoh said and he looked even more flustered as he moved forward with a strange look on his face. “At least, not entirely,” he added on after a moment’s pause as Anzu tried to figure out what other reason he might have for wanting her to slap him again. His cheeks were now completely red. “I… I kind of thought it was…”

It clicked together and Anzu’s eyes went wide. “You’re into it,” Anzu exclaimed. “Uh… I…think we should probably talk a little more about this before I just…go and slap you again?”

“Must we?”

“Well, it’s probably best we do,” Anzu said before frowning as she looked around. While no one was in the RV right now, this was definitely not the best place to have this sort of conversation. Anzu wasn’t comfortable with the idea that Rebecca could walk in at any given time. “But not here. Uh, I think Otogi said he has a place here in America. Let’s see if Otogi’s offer to let us stay at his place is still on the table.”

* * *

Later, Anzu was bright red while asking Otogi to borrow his car. She didn’t know why it was so awkward to just  _ ask _ him about it. “Why do you need it?”

“Uh, the Pharaoh and I were hoping to have a little bit of one-on-one time,” Anzu said, trying to find a way to explain herself that didn’t make it obvious as to why they wanted to be alone. “I think I’m starting to get somewhere and I thought—”

Otogi turned, raising a brow at her with a mocking grin. “Oh, I think I know what you two want to be alone for,” he teased before tossing Anzu the keys to the car and apartment with a wink. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” Her fingers curled around the keys and she couldn’t find it in her to argue with him. After all, she was a terrible liar. “Oh, but, uh. Try to keep your hands to yourself in my car, alright? I don’t care what you do in the apartment, but I’d like my car back the way I loaned it to you.”

She nodded quickly before bolting off to find the Pharaoh. Anzu supposed it wasn’t surprising he was right back to brooding. For a minute, she started to wonder if this was a bad idea. While they’d fooled around with each other before when Yugi was around, this was really the first time it’d be just between her and the Pharaoh. They’d never defined the parameters of any of the relationships and it gave Anzu pause. What if this was a line she and the Pharaoh weren’t supposed to cross? She gave the keys a light squeeze, swallowing any concerns she might have before going to place a hand on the Pharaoh’s shoulders. 

“Otogi loaned me his car,” she said softly. “Let’s get going.”

He glanced up at her, the bright jewel-red eyes dangerously close to dragging her in for a minute. For a second, she thought maybe it might be better to try to help him relax in a different way. However, when his hand touched hers, any thought that she should try to find another way to help went out of her head. “Alright.”

The stop at the sex shop wasn’t exactly planned. It was more of pragmatism because Anzu didn’t know exactly what Otogi would have at his apartment. Even if she did know, she wouldn’t want to share toys with Otogi no matter how clean they are. “So, uh,” Anzu said, feeling awkward as she looked around what the shop offered and realizing that she was a little in over her head here. All she’d thought to grab so far was a bottle of lube. “You, uh. Liked when I slapped you.”

At least she wasn’t the only one who felt awkward. The Pharaoh had been rather quiet as he examined the restraints, his delicate fingers sometimes reaching out to something before pulling back quickly. Some part of Anzu wanted to see the metal handcuffs on him, actually. The visual flashed through her head and she looked away from him. “Er… Yeah,” he said rather quietly. “I did.”

“Do you…have an idea of what else you might like?” Anzu asked, noting that he was looking at a spreader bar. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire as she imagined it on him. Before she could help herself, she found herself saying, “Maybe you might like to be restrained?”

His eyes went wide and his nod was so small that Anzu might not have noticed it if she wasn’t so hyper-aware of him. “I… I was considering that, yes.”

Anzu found herself pressing herself flush against his back, staring at what he was staring at. The idea was starting to captivate her and she leaned down to whisper in his ear, “Why don’t you pick out something pretty for you to wear for me? I kinda think that spreader bar might look good on you.”

The slight nod he gave drove Anzu just a bit wild. Was he aware of the effect that he had? Was he aware that Anzu was having a hard time keeping her thoughts collected? Anzu noted the metal cuffs he’d grabbed, in addition to the spreader bar he’d eyed earlier. He wordlessly handed both to her, a light pink appearing across his cheeks. Anzu noted the color was rather pretty on him. 

“I, uh,” he said quietly, looking down at the floor. “I’d very much like to let you take complete control, Anzu.”

It was strange to see him like this. He was normally so confident that it felt off to see him just a little bit timid. It was a completely different look on him. While Anzu admired the confidence he normally wore, there was something tantalizing about this and the way it sat on him. “Alright,” Anzu said, leaning forward to press a light kiss to his cheek. “I can do that.”

He seemed true to his word on letting Anzu take control, too. The minute she opened the door to Otogi’s apartment, there was a shift. She had to push him inside and he seemed all too willing to follow. The Pharaoh’s gaze on her was that bordered on worship and it made Anzu feel dizzy. “My precious Anzu,” he said quietly, stepping forward, his hand hovering slightly above her cheek. “May I?”

She nodded, and his hand cupped her cheek. She leaned forward, letting the bag of toys drop to the floor with only the handcuffs remaining in her hands. From there, she threw her arms around his neck to pull him to her. His lips pressed to hers, and Anzu smiled into the kiss. If she’d known this was the way to help him calm down, she would’ve gone for it ages ago. She pulled him closer, before spinning him around and giggling at the light gasp he gave in response. “Believe I get to be in charge,” she teased as the handcuffs clicked around his wrists. “How are they? If they’re too tight, I can loosen them.”

He paused for a moment before saying softly, “Green.”

“Good,” she said gently as her hands started to drift downward, carefully unbuckling the belts around his waist. Anzu’s hands rested on his hips, admiring the soft little gasp he made. “Don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” She pulled him to the nearest chair, pushing him in it and relishing the awed look on his face. Anzu grinned as she took one of his belts, using it to attach his restrained arms to the back of the chair before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Now that’s a good look on you.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly, so quietly that Anzu might’ve thought that she was mistaken in what he’d said. She lightly traced under his jaw, lifting it up slightly to better look into his eyes. Anzu took note of the hazy look in his eyes as her leg pressed between his legs, where he spread them open with little resistance. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, smiling when he attempted to kiss her again when she pulled away. “Anzu.”

“Yes?” she asked with a raised brow as she unzipped his pants and took a moment to stop and take his boots off. “You know, it’s quite rude you didn’t take your shoes off when you entered Otogi’s apartment.”

Anzu noted him tensing up, and was worried for a minute that perhaps that was a step too far. She looked up again, examining the look on his face and relaxed when she noted that he still seemed at peace. It was strange to see the Pharaoh seem to have nothing going on in his head. It seemed like he spent so much time overthinking that it was nice to see him let go of everything for once. 

“You’re right,” he said finally, as Anzu’s hands rested on his hips. “It was, indeed, quite rude of me.”

Her fingers looped through the belt loops and yanked his pants down, keeping a steady eye on him. So far, he seemed quite fine in the emotional sense. As for the physical sense, she noted that he seemed to be enjoying himself. She could see that his cock was now stiff, and reached out to rub him through his boxer briefs as she tossed his leather pants aside. His hips instantly bucked to her touch and Anzu frowned before getting up to grab the bag of toys. “I think that perhaps you need to be further tied down.”

“If that’s what you think is best,” he said with a light groan, immediately trying to hold still with a flush on his cheeks. “I defer to you, dear Anzu.”

She got to work, tying his ankles to the legs of the chair and leaning back to admire her handiwork. Another earlier discussion was sparking as she noted that he was still wearing much too many clothes. It was the reason they’d brought a second set of clothes for him, after all. She fished through the bag, pulling out the knife they’d gotten specifically just for this. While she certainly could’ve just grabbed a knife from Otogi’s kitchen, she didn’t want to run the risk of Otogi asking why they’d used the knife. So, a fresh new blade it was. Anzu carefully held the blade out, testing the weight of it. She then wrapped her fingers around the handle, taking a moment to note the Pharaoh’s body language and expression. Nothing seemed to suggest he might be nervous or second-guessing her using a knife on him. 

“How are you?”

“Green.”

With that, Anzu allowed the knife to lightly graze against his thigh while she kept a tight eye on his reactions. So far, so good, she thought, as the knife made its way to the hem of his black tank top. The knife snapped the threads on the hem with ease and Anzu made a sawing motion to get through the rest of the top. She used the knife to spread open the halves of fabric, licking her lips as she took in the sight. She moved to press a quick kiss to his collarbone, enjoying the moan the move elicited. She wanted to hear more of it. Her free hand dipped under his briefs, wrapping firmly around his cock. The loud moan the action caused spurred her on as she pressed alternating soft and rough kisses to his neck.

Anzu pulled away to fully take in the view as her thumb swiped along the head of his cock, watching him writhe while straining against his restraints. “You’re beautiful,” she said softly, admiring the flush that appeared across his cheeks at this comment. It seemed he wasn’t expecting that. “You look so pretty like this.”

For once, he didn’t seem to have a witty comeback. She carefully took the knife down along his chest, taking a moment to admire the light muscle structure underneath his skin. Anzu’s hand moved away to carefully hold the hem of his underwear, ignoring his protest at the removal of her touch as she cut away at the underwear as quickly as she could. She tossed away the shredded garment with a teasing grin, and carefully set the knife aside as well. Her eyes raked over him, admiring the appearance of him spread out and tied down.

She then dug into the bag for the lube, quickly opening it and spreading some along the shaft and wrapping her hand around the base. Anzu smirked as he gasped, his head tilting back as he tried to buck his hips to her touch. She leaned forward to wrap her mouth around the tip, a soft hum as he whimpered, her hand beginning to pump with a steady rhythm. She let her tongue roll down along the shaft, giving a small pleased noise as she noted his hips attempting to buck upwards. 

“Anzu,” he said sharply.

“Hm,” she replied as she picked up speed, pressing a quick kiss to his hip. “Something on your mind?”

His head tilted further back as his hips jutted forward, whimpering her name. Anzu swiped at the head, noting that he seemed to be getting close as precome started to leak from the tip. She swiped it up with her finger, an idea entering her head as she rubbed it between her fingers. She continued her rhythm as her other hand slipped down, pressing a precome-lubricated finger in. The reaction was instantaneous as his hips bucked up hard into her touch, a loud, whimpering “Anzu” escaping his mouth. Now that was an encouraging reaction.

She leaned forward to press light, gentle kisses along the inside of his thighs as her pace picked up. Eventually, she found the spot she was looking for within him, as he let out a loud moan while shaking hard under her touch. It didn’t take long before he came for her. 

“Good boy,” she said softly, as she pulled away to wipe the come up off his chest. “You did such a good job for me.”

His eyes were unfocused, but he managed to gather himself together enough to softly say, “Thank you. I… I want to...”

“Shh,” she said as she moved her come-covered hand between his legs and pressed her finger back into him, enjoying the look of shock that crossed his face. By now, she could push a second finger right in, her other hand undoing one of the ties on his legs. “I know you want to be a good boy for me. You’re doing such a good job so far.”

“Anzu, I,” he started, clearly struggling to string words together. His hips bucked forward to her touch as she undid the other tie. As expected, he kept his legs spread for her. “Wha…”

He could barely get the words out as Anzu reached up to undo the belt holding him to the chair, his eyes firm on her as she pressed a third finger in. “I’m going to fuck you,” she said bluntly, pulling his hips forward. He was easily pliable now, seeming to go along with whatever she did. She was glad they’d thought to open everything before they started, because the idea of fumbling with the package of the plug in this moment was unappealing. It took little time to press the toy into him and pull him off the chair. “C’mon. I wanna see you bent over the table.”

Anzu bit her lip as she bent the Pharaoh over Otogi’s dinner table. They’d clean it later, Anzu reasoned. For now, she pushed away the logistical thoughts, and focused on just how nice he looked in this position. Anzu took a moment to pull out the spreader bar and grab the knife again before she cuffed his ankles into the restraint. From there, she ran the knife under the back of his jacket and tank top, tossing the shredded clothing aside and placing the knife down in front of his face.

She took a step back from there, glancing over her handiwork. Anzu noted the light sheen of sweat starting to appear on him and almost smirked. However, there was something missing from the picture that she just couldn’t place her finger on. It was getting hard to think, all her attention going straight to how badly she wanted him. Anzu pulled her own shirt off, tossing it aside. It was when she’d tossed her shorts to the side that she realized what was missing from this. 

“Hey,” she said, her hands resting on his hips. “I wanna hear you beg to be fucked.” This seemed to surprise him as his hips attempted to press to hers. She held him firm, shaking her head. “No. You need to ask for what you want.”

“Anzu… Darling Anzu,” he said with a whimper, once again attempting to grind his hips against hers as she pressed him down and prevented him from doing so. “Anzu, please.  _ Please _ .” He groaned when he realized that he couldn’t just grind onto her and sounded almost frustrated when he said, “Please fuck me. Please. I… I need you… to…” She stepped away, reaching down her underwear to wrap her hand around her cock, and bit back a moan. The Pharaoh, for his part, looked desperate now. “Anzu,  _ please _ . My sweet, precious Anzu,  _ please _ .”

With that, she couldn’t hold out much longer. She allowed her underwear to fall to the floor, quickly replacing the plug with her cock, a low moan of appreciation escaping her lips as her hands dug deeper into his hips. He groaned as his hips rolled back to hers, and Anzu’s pace was rough and quick. Her hand gripped around the chain on the handcuffs, using it to steady herself as she angled herself to go as deep as she could into him with a low moan. Anzu noted that he was still tight, slowing as she managed to string together, “Feel good?”

His lids had slid shut, nodding breathlessly with a soft moan. “So good,” he whimpered, slightly trembling under her as his hips attempted to buck back to hers again. “Too good…” Anzu stopped and his eyes opened. “N-no, don’t…stop. Anzu,  _ please _ . Please, I want… I want...”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said gently as she started her pace again, hard and quick. Oh, he feels good, she thought absently as her nails dug into his back, nearly drawing blood.

“Anzu,” he moaned in response. “ _ Harder _ .” He shook his head when she attempted to follow with his request. “N-no…nails…feel good.”

It was then that she realized he was not referring to how she was taking him. Curiosity took hold, and her nails dug deeper into his back, drawing blood. Yet, he moaned louder still. Her heart raced as she pulled him up against her by the chain of the handcuffs, her other hand reaching for the knife as she held it right against his clavicle. “Is this what you’d like?” she asked, almost hissing the words. “Just on the verge of danger? So close to the blade?”

“Yes,” he moaned, and Anzu noted that he was starting to harden again. She licked her lips as his head tilted back, resting against her shoulder with a blissed out look on his face. “Oh, my precious, darling Anzu… _Please…_ _Fuck_ me.”

“That’s what I’m doing,” she teased, yanking hard on the chain as she did a quick, hard thrust to prove her point. “Gonna come again already?”

He shook his head with a whimper, hips bucking back to her. “Only if you need more lube,” he remarked with a soft smirk. He nearly bent back over, and Anzu’s hand splayed against his chest to prevent him from letting his skin dig too deep into the knife. She hissed as she noted she’d been a hair too late in catching him and the blade had managed to knick him. “I’m okay,” he assured her quickly. “Feels good.”

Anzu set the knife aside regardless, holding tight to the handcuff chain. “Let me see,” she said softly, and he whined when she pulled away to turn him to face her, looking over the cut. It seemed shallow, mostly harmless. She noted that he was pouting and almost laughed. “Are you that upset that I care about you?”

“Was enjoying myself,” he pouted, furrowing his brow. “I’m  _ fine _ . Can we go back to you fucking me?”

Anzu smiled as she pressed a quick kiss to his lips, pushed him backwards onto the table with a light laugh. “If you’re sure you’re fine,” she said, pulling his legs up out of the way to slam back into him with a light groan as she gripped onto his legs for support. His eyes went wide for a second before closing shut as his back arched up off the table with a moan. “You always look so pretty when you’re getting fucked.”

“I do my best,” he said breathlessly, his hips bucking to her as he whimpered. “Anzu, Anzu, I… I… I want you to…”

He trailed off and Anzu’s brow furrowed. “You want me to what,” she said, reaching in between his legs to trace out shapes across his chest, admiring just how lovely he was. “C’mon, pretty boy. Use your words.”

A flush appeared on his cheeks and he seemed mortified. “I,” he said, moaning again as he squirmed slightly. “I want…” And he looked away from her, mumbling something under his breath.

“Didn’t catch that,” she said, leaning forward as she moved her hand up to press to his cheek and force him to look her in the eye. She smirked as saw the glazed look, and noted that he had reached yet another climax before she even reached her first. “If you want me to come in you, you gotta ask for it.”

“Anzu,” he groaned. “Please… I… I want…” He was stumbling over his words, and each word came out slowly, almost as if it exhausted him to speak. “Come… I… Please. In… In…” He took a sharp breath, hips lazily bucking to her. “Me.”

He was close to spent, Anzu realized. With that, it was easier to just grab his hips and ride out her own high with a low groan. She pressed to him, undoing the spreader bar quickly and his legs collapsed down to the floor. “I’m going to get the keys to the handcuffs and be right back,” she said softly, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. “Then we can run you a bath and get you cleaned up.”

The Pharaoh mumbled something under his breath that she didn’t quite catch as she hurried to get the keys to the handcuffs. He’d barely moved when she got back and she pulled him up, turning him around to unlock the cuffs. She frowned as her fingers ran over the red welts that were sure to bruise. “C’mon,” she said softly as she led him to the bathroom. “Bath time.”

“Don’t wanna,” he complained, pressing his face into her shoulder. “Don’t deserve it.”

“Of course you deserve a bath,” Anzu said as she half-carried him into the tub, swinging him in anyway. She turned it on, adjusting the water until it ran warm and then stopped up the tub. She then took a peek into what Otogi had for soap. Anzu noted the neat row of bath bombs and hummed appreciatively. Clearly Otogi had great taste, Anzu thought absently as she sniffed each of them. She selected one that smelled vaguely floral and dropped it in the tub. “Everyone deserves to get clean.”

“I don’t,” he said as he hugged his knees to his chest. Anzu sat on the edge of the tub, reaching down into the water and rubbing it up along the scratches left on his back. She winced slightly as how much worse they looked post climax. Everything tended to look worse in the light, she noted. She reached for the body soap Otogi had, carefully lathering it on her hands to wash his back and winced when he hissed in obvious pain. “It should be my partner here with you.”

“Hey, hey, we’re gonna get him back,” she said, ignoring the pang in her chest as she remembered that Yugi was taken. She’d managed to forget for a moment until he’d mentioned it. Anzu couldn’t help but note that the Pharaoh seemed a bit lost without Yugi. She frowned as her hands ran up into his hair. “But… You should know that I…that we  _ all _ love you. Just you is fine.”

He looked up at her, confused by this. “We?”

She blushed, busying herself with making sure that his back wouldn’t get infected. “You know… Jonouchi… Honda… Otogi… Bakura… Myself,” she said quietly before starting to massage his shoulders. He pulled away from her touch, looking almost stunned. “You’re cared for, Pharaoh.”

Instead of responding to this, he stared down at his hands with a look she’d seen before on him. The burn marks from the time Yugi had assembled the puzzle in a burning room were still there, and Anzu had to imagine that it didn’t feel good for him. She reached out for him and he flinched away. “I don’t deserve it,” he said plainly, getting up and out of the tub. “I don’t understand why you aren’t angry with me. I’m the reason my partner’s gone. It was my… Not even mine. I... ” He looked wild and Anzu tried to stifle a giggle as she noted the image of him completely stark naked with his usual attempts to brood was completely ridiculous. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re still naked,” she pointed out, pursing her lips in an attempt to stop laughing as she stood up to grab a towel and toss it to him. A look of confusion crossed his face before he turned crimson, wrapping the towel around his waist. Granted, she wasn’t much better. “C’mon, let’s go get dressed and then you can try to explain this to me,” she said as she pulled the plug on the tub, feeling no need to force him to stay in the bath if he did not want to stay.

“Still better than I deserve,” he ruminated as Anzu moved to ransack Otogi’s dresser, figuring that any sleepwear he had would be oversized on both her and the Pharaoh. She tossed him a pair of plaid flannel drawstring pants and pulled out a plain black pair of pajama bottoms for herself. She pulled on the pair of pants before moving on to pull apart the sheets on Otogi’s bed, figuring that he wouldn’t mind if they used it. “Anzu, I… I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” she said as she moved over to him, carefully folding up the pajama pants on him so he wouldn’t trip over the excess fabric. He seemed surprised by this gesture as she stood up, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’ve given yourself more than enough lashings for your mistakes. I’m not here to hold them over your head and make you feel worse about something you’re already trying to atone for. I’m here to support you during that atonement process. You’ll get him back. I know you will.”

She took his hands in hers, pulling him towards the bed and letting them collapse into it. “You’re placing a lot of faith in me,” he said, frowning. “How do you know I won’t let you down like I did before?”

Anzu rolled her eyes. “Stop it,” she said softly, placing her hand gently on his cheek. “You’re good. I promise you. You’re good. You deserve to be cared for. Please believe me.”

His hand went over hers, looking her deep in the eyes before nodding. “I’ll believe you,” he said softly, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer. He nestled his ear against her chest, listening to her heartbeat with a strange look on his face. “It’s strange. I died so many years ago and yet, here, with you… I feel very alive.”

A pang went through her heart as she thought about Isis’s claim that all spirits have a place to return to. It was strange that she’d forgotten yet again the reality of the situation that Yugi, the Pharaoh, and her had been placed in. Instead of allowing that thought to take root, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Good,” she said softly, lightly running a hand through his hair. “Now… We should rest. We have a lot of things to do later.” She pressed a finger to his lips before he protested, shaking her head. He sighed and nodded, allowing himself to relax against her.

For now, they could rest.


End file.
